Last day in Istanbul and we headed out to Church of St. Savior in Chora. Chora means “in the country” and this church was originally outside the city walls until they were enlarged.
Getting here via tram and Metro, we got lost after exiting the Metro but eventually found our way.
The current church dates to 1100, after the original was damaged in an earthquake. The mosaics were added 1315-1321, while the frescoes are thought to have been added after the mosaics were complete, around 1320. According to the Rick Steves guidebook, this church houses some of the finest examples of late-Byzantine mosaics.
Genealogy of Christ
Close up view of a mosiac. The tile pieces are tiny!
After the church was converted to a mosque in the early 16th century, the frescoes and mosaics were covered with whitewash. They were rediscovered in the 1940s and restored.
This is a small, but underrated site, in my opinion, and surprisingly crowded considering how far it is from the Sultanahmet area.